Christine Esposito, Associate Editor07.29.10
Summer has a way of wreaking havoc on hair. Frizz and unwanted curl often take center stage. While there are salon treatments that remedy the situation, mass market hair care innovator L’Oréal is offering consumers a new option—Garnier Fructis Style Sleek and Shine Blow Dry Perfector, a new 2-step smoothing kit for home use.
According to Julia Youssef, vice president of the L’Oreal USA Technical Center, this new option is a “multi-talented” product that delvers softer, shiner and manageable hair.
“In our consumer testing, we have found that women with curly or frizzy hair are still seeking more effective, longer lasting ways to wearing their hair straight,” Youssef told Happi.“There are the popular salon treatments, Brazilian and Japanese straightening treatments, but they are expensive and have potentially damaging effects on the hair….[Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Blow Dry Perfector is] the perfect in-between. Women can wear their hair curly or straight when you want them. This product truly is a first-to-market, patented innovation.”
The non-permanent treatment—a 20-minute leave-in/rinse out serum followed by a heat-activated cream that’s applied before blow drying or flat ironing—can last up to seven shampoos, according to the company.
The active ingredients that give this product its staying power are cysteine and rice oil.
Cysteine, said Youssef, is a protein building block that is found naturally in your hair.
“Hair is made up of both chemical and physical bonds. If you think of curly hair as a twisted ladder, cysteine loosens up and untwists the twisted ladder, so the hair’s physical bonds are not so tightly wound, which makes hair appear frizzy,” she said.
Rice oil, which is the heat-activated ingredient in the second step of the kit, seals in the first step to smooth and de-frizz hair, creating sleeker, softer, shinier and more manageable hair.
Youssef pointed out that they blow dry step is critical.
“The two-step application is equally as important as the key ingredients included in the Blow Dry Perfector,” she said. “The second step must be heat activated to seal in the first step to last through seven shampoos. Basically, once you have sealed in step one with the Heat-Activated Perfect-It Cream, you get easier, faster blow outs leaving your hair smooth, shiny and de-frizzed.”
The product is said to work best on medium-to-thick hair, and is safe for color treated tresses. And if the user wants curl or waves, she can air dry or diffuse her hair after she showers.
Sleek & Shine Blow Dry Perfector ($11.99) hit stores in July.
According to Julia Youssef, vice president of the L’Oreal USA Technical Center, this new option is a “multi-talented” product that delvers softer, shiner and manageable hair.
“In our consumer testing, we have found that women with curly or frizzy hair are still seeking more effective, longer lasting ways to wearing their hair straight,” Youssef told Happi.“There are the popular salon treatments, Brazilian and Japanese straightening treatments, but they are expensive and have potentially damaging effects on the hair….[Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Blow Dry Perfector is] the perfect in-between. Women can wear their hair curly or straight when you want them. This product truly is a first-to-market, patented innovation.”
The non-permanent treatment—a 20-minute leave-in/rinse out serum followed by a heat-activated cream that’s applied before blow drying or flat ironing—can last up to seven shampoos, according to the company.
Cysteine, said Youssef, is a protein building block that is found naturally in your hair.
“Hair is made up of both chemical and physical bonds. If you think of curly hair as a twisted ladder, cysteine loosens up and untwists the twisted ladder, so the hair’s physical bonds are not so tightly wound, which makes hair appear frizzy,” she said.
Youssef pointed out that they blow dry step is critical.
“The two-step application is equally as important as the key ingredients included in the Blow Dry Perfector,” she said. “The second step must be heat activated to seal in the first step to last through seven shampoos. Basically, once you have sealed in step one with the Heat-Activated Perfect-It Cream, you get easier, faster blow outs leaving your hair smooth, shiny and de-frizzed.”
The product is said to work best on medium-to-thick hair, and is safe for color treated tresses. And if the user wants curl or waves, she can air dry or diffuse her hair after she showers.
Sleek & Shine Blow Dry Perfector ($11.99) hit stores in July.